By Ariel Monticure
A school abruptly and permanently closing doesn’t cause children to celebrate; it’s a disruption of their lives. There is no dreaded Monday that cuts holiday break short. There will not be the same community of loving friends and teachers to welcome students back. This is the case with charter schools that close over night.
A 2011 report put together by the Center of Education revealed that 52 charter schools were closed by the Texas Education Agency from 1998 to 2011. The combination of operational competency, debt, mismanagement and academic deficiencies have pushed these establishments into a chasm.
On Jan. 30, the Dallas Morning News declared the final chapter of Prime Prep Academy featuring a picture of fifth grader Demarquis Brooks. He’s seen exiting his school looking frustrated and hurt. His backpack strap is thrown around his neck and his sweatshirt is carelessly wrapped around his body. Tears are streaming down his face and with a furrowed brow it’s evident the little guy is trying to hold back more tears. The image of Brooks should be a reminder that the repercussions of failed charter schools go deeper than fiscal issues; children are exploited and hurt.
It’s easy to be enticed by buzzwords such as “debt, scandal, mismanagement” in failed charter school cases. Between the media’s coverage of the Texas Education Agency declaring a charter school unsuitable and the investigation of records that ensue, an important question to consider is, are former uprooted students being taken into consideration?
Charters schools’ freedom from regulation is supposed to encourage a more robust learning experience. Unfortunately in some cases, less regulation equates to mismanagement. Mismanagement can be attributed to inexperience, but it’s more likely that a lack of integrity, laziness and greed drive charter schools into the ground.
In the case of Prime Prep Academy, a few illogical and corrupt actors displaced 300 students.
According to the Dallas Morning News, the money allotted for employee health insurance premiums, the Internal Revenue Service, underemployment insurance and contributions to the Teacher Retirement System of Texas were being used to pay for the staff’s payroll. Such deceitfulness points to misappropriation of funds.
Not only are failed charter schools displacing droves of divergent thinking children, but those in charge are failing to provide an atmosphere for these students to thrive in, forcing them back into the public school curriculum where they are more likely doomed to failure.
